Edakkad: Kannur boasts of the largest drive-in beach in Asia but travelers to Muzhappilangad have to possess some treasure-hunting skills to locate the beach, hidden behind narrow roads and a thick growth of geenery.
The Muzhappilangad beach is the biggest tourist attraction in Kannur district, yet the residents of the area say that they are fed up of leading travelers who have gone astray. The authorities have not put up any signboards leading to the beach.
How to reach Muzhappilangad Beach
To go to the Muzhappilangad beach, you have to take a turn from the national highway either at Edakkad bypass, Muzhappilangad Bazaar or near the Muzhappilangad Madhom. There are three roads leading up to the beach but none of them has a proper signboard to lead tourists.
Those who come from elsewhere in Kerala or outside the state are sure to miss the turnings in the absence of any visible directions. It is easier for travelers from the north to drive past Muzhappilangad for a few kilometers until they realize that they have lost their way. Those who travel from the south drive up to Edakkad or Nadal and take a U-turn to get back on the route.
Task for Tourism Department
The people in the area say that the Tourism Department should put up easily noticeable gateways or boards made of reflective material at each of the three entry points at Edakkad and Muzhappilangad. The existing signposts have been rendered useless, with the coat of paint faded or flaked.
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Even if the travelers manage to locate the roads to the beach, they have to be in their adventure selves to enter the beach hidden behind a thick cover of vegetation. The paths to the beach have not been cleared for days. Bushes have grown around the signpost put up at the end of the main road from the Muzhappilangad Kulam Bazaar. The area is infested with stray dogs and foxes even in the daytime, the people who live here say.
The situation is no better in the other points where the roads from the Edakkad and Muzhappilangad Madhom join the beach road.
If you prefer traveling on train, Edakkad railway station is your nearest stop. Unfortunately, only slow-moving passenger trains halt here. Unless Express trains are stopped at the Edakkad station, there is no point in advertising the station as an entry point to the beach, tourism officials say.
